Itching is medically termed “pruritis.” It’s a pain! Itching may even lead to stress and/or depression in some sufferers when it just won’t go away. (1) Like pain, itch starts in the central nervous system, the brain and the spinal cord, and goes through the peripheral nervous system to the skin. Scratching the itch works due to an interaction with the pain pathways in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. (2) Johnson Chiropractic knows a lot about pain, treats the spine, and relieves pain. Just ask our Richmond chiropractic patients!

Many Richmond chiropractic patients wouldn’t say that itching brought them to Johnson Chiropractic, but they were happy when the itching resolved as a positive side effect. How does that happen? Well, “neuropathic pruritis” may be caused by spinal degenerative disc disease, spinal root impingement, and/or spinal nerve root traction according to new research. Multilevel symmetric neuropathic pruritis/itch may be due to a combination of these issues. (1)

A published study found that in a group of patients reporting chronic itch all of them showed obvious degenerative vertebral changes on spinal x-ray or MRI. (1)  All of them! For 85.7%, their itch followed the dermatomal path of irritation expected according to what is seen on their imaging. We chiropractors including your Richmond chiropractor at Johnson Chiropractic are most sensitive to dermatomal symptoms as part of our careful clinical examinations. Dermatomes tell us so much!

Johnson Chiropractic approaches disc disease and nerve root impingement and irritation with gentle chiropractic treatment in the form of Cox Technic. If itching is related to such conditions, relief may be in sight.

Contact Johnson Chiropractic to set an appointment with the Richmond chiropractor who understands the spine well and helps relieve its pain.